HBO announces second J. Cole documentary coming in April

Last year, J. Cole debuted the concert film and tour documentary J. Cole Forest Hills Drive: Homecoming on HBO. His director, Scott Lazer, told EW the purpose was to “give context” to his music, adding, “You can’t really understand until you see the whole picture.” Keeping with that mindset comes Cole’s second HBO doc that features songs from his fourth album, 4 Your Eyez Only, and confessionals of people living in the South.

Today, EW can exclusively reveal that a second documentary, J. Cole: 4 Your Eyez Only, A Dreamville Film, will premiere on HBO Saturday, April 15 from 10-11 p.m. ET/PT. And you can watch the trailer right here as well.

Interspersed with musical performances from his fourth album, the artist captured stories of lower-income residents in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Atlanta, Georgia; Ferguson, Missouri; Fayetteville, North Carolina (Cole’s hometown), and Jonesboro, Arkansas (his father’s hometown). “So many of us are hurting and we’re confused and we’re angry,” says one of the interview subjects in the trailer, while another confesses, “I’m going to do it because I can’t depend on those people, I can’t depend on them.”

The documentary promises to illustrate how their struggles over viable housing, voting laws for felons, integration, and more mirror the frustrations felt across the nation.

Cole and Lazer co-directed J. Cole: 4 Your Eyez Only, A Dreamville Film, which is produced by Tim Grant and executive produced by Jermaine Cole, Ibrahim Hamad, and Adam Roy Rodney.

Watch the announcement trailer above. The special will also be available on HBO Now, HBO Go, HBO On Demand, and affiliate portals.